Outside
Zheng He Cultural Relics Hall in Malacca stands a stone statue of Zheng He.
The year 2005 marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages
to the western seas. With a view to commemorate the historical relations between
Zheng He and Malacca, Malaysia, the Malacca Historical Museum opened up "Zheng
He Cultural Relic Hall" on the second floor, which is the first exhibition hall
devoted to the commemoration of Zheng He in Malaysia and the Southeast Asian
country's only cultural relic hall devoted to a historical figure. Outside the
exhibition hall stands a stone sculpture of Zheng He.
Most of the exhibited items are contributions by cultural
organizations and folk people, while some of the other items are from the
museum's own collections. Among the collected items are over 20 ancient relics,
some ancient historical books, and more than 80 pictures of cultural relics. In
addition, duplicates of the ships used by Zheng He have been made, and are
displayed in the exhibition hall.
According to the museum's president, there are not many materials about
Zhen He's activities in the Southern Seas despite his close relationship with
Malacca. Therefore, those historical materials exhibited in the hall mostly
record Zheng He's activities in China and the places he went by during his seven
voyages.
One of the most precious items is a seal presented to Parameswara, who
discovered the island of Malacca, by Emperor Yongle of the Ming dynasty . It is
said that Zheng He brought the seal to Malacca. The exhibition hall also boasts
a collection of ancient "Zheng He" coins, which are similar to the square-hole
copper coins in external shape and which were donated by a collector of ancient
coins. However, there is no way of verifying the original source of these coins.
The Malaysians consider Zheng He as an indispensable part in the history of
Malacca. During ancient times, he brought hope to the Kingdom of Malacca, which
entered a period of brilliance with his help. Nowadays, Zheng He and his
legacies have become a hot tourist attraction.